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What it's like to do pro-life ministry in India

January 2017

By: Michele D. Shoun

Abortion is very common in India – readily available
and cheaply performed. It’s often referred to as “getting cleaned out,” which
softens and obscures reality.

Often, a woman doesn’t understand what’s being done to her
and her baby. Presentations for women by Christian doctors and pro-life workers
on prenatal development and abortion methods have proven to be effective.

Abortion is often used within marriage as a way for couples to
limit the number of children or avoid having too many daughters. It is
estimated that nearly 50,000 girls are aborted every month in sex-selective
abortions!

Sadly, many pastors and lay leaders avoid mentioning this
difficult and controversial topic in their Bible preaching and teaching. The
sin of abortion is practiced within the Christian community in almost the same
proportion as secular circles! This is why the pro-life message is so difficult
to accept, and offensive to many of people.

Interestingly (and sadly), some of those leading the opposition to
sex-selection abortion are non-Christian feminists. The police and government are
also doing their part to stop illegal abortions (sex selection), but it's
not enough. There must be a change of heart toward the unborn, and girls in
particular.

“Missionary C,” who has been working quietly in India for years, believes that this terrible sin – so commonly accepted and rampant
among those who claim the name of Jesus – has compromised Christian witness and is the reason the Good News is not
accepted as in other societies. As it says in Proverbs 6:17, God abhors the murder of the innocent and will not bless those who practice it. “This is why they are not set free by the
truth.”

Ultrasound, as we know, can be a tremendous tool for
pro-life education, but in India it’s the machine that determines whether
murder will be done. “They see a perfectly formed baby, kicking and moving but,
if it is a girl, she is killed with no mercy.”

Not everyone can afford an ultrasound, so newborn baby girls
(and sometimes boys as well) will be killed shortly after birth. Infanticide
has been practiced in India for centuries. “C” found that many believe
abortion is good because it keeps them from having to kill an infant. They
think an unborn child is “not yet a baby.”

Pro-life presentations do little to combat infanticide. People
who practice it already know what they’re doing. “C” has found it worthwhile to
focus on the woman’s physical, emotional and spiritual consequences of abortion.
This is “more touching for them than explaining about the baby's human nature
and the sanctity of life. They do care for themselves.”

A pro-life movement
is slowly forming in India, with groups holding conferences where they can
network and encourage each other. Please pray for these workers. “C” says, “The
Lord has taught me through the years that I must be very compassionate at
sharing about it.